Video: Selecting and removing frames

In this movie, we'll look at how to select frames in Flash. This is actually a very important skill when you're working with animations. Often, you'll want to select and move frames or to copy them or delete frames. So we'll look at how to do that so that you can feel comfortable when you're working with frames in Flash. So my main goal here is to delete this last set of frames that are kind of at the end of the timeline. So we have an animation that goes blank at frame 17. So what we want to do is delete those frames.

In Flash Professional CS5 Essential Training, author Todd Perkins explains the fundamentals of Flash Professional CS5, the industry standard for creating animations and interactive applications for the web, desktop, and mobile devices. This course starts with the basics, such as using the drawing tools to create simple animations, and progresses to automating animation with tweens and adding interactivity with ActionScript. This course also covers how to add sound and video to projects, enhance realism with effects like easing, and publish a project to a variety of platforms. Exercise files are included.

Selecting and removing frames

In this movie, we'll look at how to select frames in Flash.This is actually a very important skill when you're working with animations.Often, you'll want to select and move frames or to copy them or delete frames.So we'll look at how to do that so that you can feel comfortable when you'reworking with frames in Flash.So my main goal here is to delete this last set of frames that are kind of atthe end of the timeline.So we have an animation that goes blank at frame 17.So what we want to do is delete those frames.

Now there are multiple ways to delete frames.Now before we delete the frames, we'll have to select them.There are multiple ways to select frames.You can select frames by clicking-and-dragging.Now when you do this, I want you click away from any frames first.So before I select any frames, the method is to deselect every frame.So I'm going to click away from all of my frames, so that I deselect every frame.You can also do this below all of your layers.So you can either do it far off on the timeline where frames don't exist or youcan do it below all your other layers.

So once you've deselected all your frames, you can then click-and-drag aselection area and then release your mouse button to select a span of frames.Another way to select frames is to Shift+Click.So I can select one frame and then put my cursor where the last frame I want toselect is and Shift+Click to select that span.Since I just want to select this last span of frames, from frame 17 through 20,I'm going to deselect all my frames by clicking at the bottom of the timelineand then I'm going to click-and-drag from frame 17 to frame 20 on the backgroundlayer, and I have that span of frames selected.

So now if I want to, I can move it around by clicking-and-dragging my selection.But of course, that's not what I want to do.So I actually want to delete it.I just wanted to show you that I could do that.To delete the frames, you can go to Edit > Timeline > Remove Frames, or theshortcut, which is Shift+F5.I recommend memorizing the shortcut, because I remove frames pretty often whenI'm working in Flash.So I'm going to press the keyboard shortcut Shift+F5, to remove those frames.

Now the timeline only lasts 16 frames.Now that we've removed those frames, let's say I wanted to delete that keyframethat I have on frame 7 where the sun moves.I wanted to keep the sun on the left side of the screen.Now if I deleted that keyframe, then the timeline would shrink.I actually just want to take this keyframe and convert it to a regular frame.Now to do that, I can select the keyframe and then go to Modify > Timeline > Clear Keyframe.Note the keyboard shortcut is Shift+F6.

I would only memorize this if you plan on working with animations a lot.So I'm going to choose Clear Keyframe and Flash will clear that keyframe andhave it be a regular frame.So I recommend practicing selecting frames in Flash, so you feel comfortablemoving them around and deleting them before you start creating animationsso it's nice and easy to animate your objects in Flash.

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Learn by watching, listening, and doing! Exercise files are the same files the author uses in the course, so you can download them and follow along. Exercise files are available with all Premium memberships.
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